Religious Spirits

[Criada]

Mod Hat On​

This thread is getting a little flamey!
Keep it civil, please folks.
Thanks
Mod Hat Off​

 

[Simon Peter]

You now have a clue as to why it was prophesied over me that I am a wooden spoon in my church.

The problem when anyone sets themselves up as a critic of ministries is that they give the appearance that they are more spiritual and closer to God than them.

Oscarr,

I'm not 'setting myself up as a critic of ministries'. The scripture requires that we all excercise good judgment and discernment. We are also required to warn people when we see danger.

I have also had prophecies spoken over me, and as it happens there was one that used similar language as you have about 'setting themselves up as a critic of ministries'.

But it's important to me that I assure you that I have not tried to fulfill this prophecy myself, I had no desire to, and it was just one of dozens of prophecies spoken over me. I don't have the time or inclination to run around trying to fulfill them...

Here's part of it verbatim:

He’s setting you up to be a Guardian, someone who stands at the city gate, and watches those who come in, and those who go out. Is aware of the comings and goings in the church. Who is there to protect the members of the congregation you are involved in, from those who’d like to come in and harm, and do damage. You know I think God is saying you are going to be a protector of the saints.


I happen to think there's a lot of flaky prophecy out there. If that was from God then sobeit.


Here's a quote from A.W. Tozer, and as respected colleges are important to you, I should point out that Tozer has an honorary doctorate from Wheaton college (Ivy league). So be careful not to criticise him

A. W. Tozer

"Many tender-minded Christians fear to sin against love by daring to inquire into anything that comes wearing the cloak of Christianity and breathing the name of Jesus.

They dare not examine the credentials of the latest prophet to hit their town lest they be guilty of rejecting something which may be of God.

They timidly remember how the Pharisees refused to accept Christ when He came, and they do not want to be caught in the same snare, so they either reserve judgment or shut their eyes and accept everything without question.

This is supposed to indicate a high degree of spirituality. But in sober fact it indicates no such thing. It may indeed be evidence of the absence of the Holy Spirit.

Gullibility is not synonymous with spirituality.

Faith is not a mental habit leading its possessor to open his mouth and swallow everything that has about it the color of the supernatural. Faith keeps its heart open to whatever is of God, and rejects everything that is not of God, however wonderful it may be.

Try the spirits is a command of the Holy Spirit to the Church.

We may sin as certainly by approving the spurious as by rejecting the genuine. And the current habit of refusing to take sides is not the way to avoid the question.

To appraise things with a heart of love and then to act on the results is an obligation resting upon every Christian in the world. And the more as we see the day approaching."


peace,
Simon

 

[Ajax 777]

A. W. Tozer

"Many tender-minded Christians fear to sin against love by daring to inquire into anything that comes wearing the cloak of Christianity and breathing the name of Jesus.

They dare not examine the credentials of the latest prophet to hit their town lest they be guilty of rejecting something which may be of God.

They timidly remember how the Pharisees refused to accept Christ when He came, and they do not want to be caught in the same snare, so they either reserve judgment or shut their eyes and accept everything without question.

This is supposed to indicate a high degree of spirituality. But in sober fact it indicates no such thing. It may indeed be evidence of the absence of the Holy Spirit.

Gullibility is not synonymous with spirituality.

Faith is not a mental habit leading its possessor to open his mouth and swallow everything that has about it the color of the supernatural. Faith keeps its heart open to whatever is of God, and rejects everything that is not of God, however wonderful it may be.

Try the spirits is a command of the Holy Spirit to the Church.

We may sin as certainly by approving the spurious as by rejecting the genuine. And the current habit of refusing to take sides is not the way to avoid the question.

To appraise things with a heart of love and then to act on the results is an obligation resting upon every Christian in the world. And the more as we see the day approaching."

TRUE!!!! So true, it needs posting twice!!!

 

[Tobias]

I have also had prophecies spoken over me, and as it happens there was one that used similar language as you have about 'setting themselves up as a critic of ministries'.

But it's important to me that I assure you that I have not tried to fulfill this prophecy myself, I had no desire to, and it was just one of dozens of prophecies spoken over me. I don't have the time or inclination to run around trying to fulfill them...

Here's part of it verbatim:

He’s setting you up to be a Guardian, someone who stands at the city gate, and watches those who come in, and those who go out. Is aware of the comings and goings in the church. Who is there to protect the members of the congregation you are involved in, from those who’d like to come in and harm, and do damage. You know I think God is saying you are going to be a protector of the saints.


I happen to think there's a lot of flaky prophecy out there. If that was from God then sobeit.

I can bare witness with this, Simon.

For whatever that's worth to you. But this is what I do. I listen closely for the Voice of my God speaking through prophecy and other people's preaching; and either He's there or He isn't.

There are some drawbacks to this method I've developed. Here's what I posted about it on the other thread late last night (for those who haven't seen it):

There is a problem, in that we all have remnants of wickedness in us, and nobody's doctrine is perfect.

The only relevant question then, is are we good enough for God? Samson toyed with his "anointing" and found out just how far he could go before the Spirit of the Lord departed from him.

I have tuned my ear to hear only from my God. Bentley or any other preacher can teach all day on the most heinous doctrines, and I would not notice. Not if the Holy Spirit chose to use him, and was busy speaking to me and teaching me lessons during the sermon! If the preacher is good enough for God, then he's good enough for me!

This is what I mean when I talk about discernment. Some people use the word and mean using your brain power to determine just how accurate someone's words are compared to scripture. I use it only to mean sensing when God anoints a message and uses it to speak to me through it.

The difficult, grey area in this is: I don't really know if the guy is righteous or not, simply because God is speaking to me through him! I would guess that God uses His own criteria to determine if a vessel is usable or not. It also seems that other people sense the same spirit on the man, as with Lakeland and all the thousands of other people who were equally unimpressed with Bentley's presentation but ate up the presence of the Spirit. We all seem to be able to sense when the Gifts of the Spirit are in operation, those of us who are in tune with the Spirit.

What I object to are people who use their mental knowledge of scripture and personal doctrines to "discern" that someone who is full of the Holy Ghost simply cannot be used by God. They are completely blinded by their own opinion, and are unable to listen to the Spirit or sense His presence. Now I'm sure none of us are incapable of doing this, as we all have our weak points when it comes to yielding to the Spirit. But as in the case with Lakeland, when thousands upon thousands of other Christians have stood up and born witness to the fact that God was doing something extraordinary... generally it is a safe bet to go with the idea that God is in fact doing something, rather than placing all your faith in the nay-sayers who might just be driven by jealousy or religious spirits trying to shut the whole thing down.

What I'm beginning to see, is that there are different specialties within the community of "Guardians" in the Church. Or different methods of Discernment if you will. None of us are perfect on our own, and need each other to compliment our gifts. I see three different areas that need to be covered, if we are to properly assess a minister or ministry:

1. A simple look into the guy's life. Mike Warnkey preached for years before anyone bothered to ask his former friends if what he claimed about his life was true. The Pharisees caught a woman in the act of adultery. It's a messy job, but someone has to do it.

2. Weighing out what someone teaches against scripture. This is the number one method we are all taught in church, but it needs mentioning.

3. Using the Gift of the Spirit to discern the source behind the minister's material. Is it of God, of Man, or of something else? These things are not easily known through other means, but certain people seem to have a God given gift for this.


Fighting the enemy is messy business. I can easily look down on somebody who spends their time investigating minister's lives to see if there is any breach in integrity. But then again, I have a comparable interest in false spirits, to investigate what they are about. I'm sure that makes people wonder what's wrong with me! Perhaps what it is, is that we are being led to do jobs in the Church, and need to use integrity on our own part to make sure we look into these things solely for God.

I know my gifts are not going to lead me to see some of the false doctrine when it's being taught. Not unless the Spirit guides me! Which he does do sometimes. But I can relate to some of the criticism against Wagner in this thread, in that my gift of discernment will not necessarily show me if someone is living in secret sin. In fact, I doubt if any one person is going to be able to discern everything from all angles. We are a body fitly joined together; and need each other to come to a complete assessment of the situation!

 

[Tobias]

He’s setting you up to be a Guardian, someone who stands at the city gate, and watches those who come in, and those who go out. Is aware of the comings and goings in the church. Who is there to protect the members of the congregation you are involved in, from those who’d like to come in and harm, and do damage. You know I think God is saying you are going to be a protector of the saints.

Perhaps I should add, this last line is not a part of the prophecy. But I imagine you already knew that!

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Oscarr,
The only real connection between the two (at least initially) was when Wagner and his cohorts decided that they needed to bring this ‘newest and greatest man of God’ into their web. If Wagner had of been able to show some discernment and insight he would have kept well clear of this charlatan.

You may be expecting Dr Wagner to be a super duper man with perfect discernment. He might be human just like all the rest of us. He might not have known about the shonky beliefs that might have been under the surface. The people who have been present at his meetings have found nothing in his teaching that goes against the Scripture.

Undoubtedly they would have been in shock over what happened and they certainly would have asked Jesus why it happened. Once he told them about the prophecy regarding Judas the penny would then have then dropped though it probably wouldn’t have initially removed their pain. It’s one thing to have the Father appoint Judas knowing full well what was about to happen but it is certainly another thing for someone like Wagner who promotes so much heresy to show the world how he can be easily duped. I have little doubt that Wagner had wished that Bentley had never been born.

I guess that discoveries of hidden errors take a little time. You know about the progress of sin, don't you? It takes time to mature and become obvious.

When a ministry starts out, wise and mature mentors give a person the benefit of the doubt to see how they develop. Remember the story that Jesus told about the wheat and the tares. Sometimes to remove the tares the wheat can be damaged. Maybe Dr Wagner and Rick Joyner decided to hold back and see what eventuated. It so happened that Bentley's sin matured through his domestic failure. Once that happened, the others can bring correction in a way that Bentley's disciples can understand. The failure of an influential ministry can wreck innocent Christian lives. One has to be careful and wait for the right time.

With prominent ministries with hidden sins and faults, the Scripture in Deuteronomy applies: "Their foot will slide in due time."

This point does seem to be becoming a bit drawn out.

Oscarr, does the connection between Bentley and his supposed visitations from ‘Emma’ ring a bell?

I think that anyone with a sensible head on their shoulders would have problems with that.

 

[Tenebrae]

You now have a clue as to why it was prophesied over me that I am a wooden spoon in my church. The problem when anyone sets themselves up as a critic of ministries is that they give the appearance that they are more spiritual and closer to God than them.

Then why is it ok for you to sit in judgement of people who speak out against problematic members of the church, people who could be responsible for people walking away from the christian faith.

Seems a little bit double standardish,

 

[Ajax 777]

Then why is it ok for you to sit in judgement of people who speak out against problematic members of the church, people who could be responsible for people walking away from the christian faith.

Seems a little bit double standardish,

Spot on.

 

[Blueberrymuffin09]

why is Tenebrae a pagan, debating in this area?

I have just been to a Peter Wagner conference this weekend. He is the most humble amazing man going. He refuses to fling mud at detractors. in fact, he prays for them..wow...imagine that....a man showing Biblical character. I went very skeptical, because of all the negativity around him. I was very pleasantly surprised.

 

[Faulty]

why is Tenebrae a pagan, debating in this area?

I have just been to a Peter Wagner conference this weekend. He is the most humble amazing man going. He refuses to fling mud at detractors. in fact, he prays for them..wow...imagine that....a man showing Biblical character. I went very skeptical, because of all the negativity around him. I was very pleasantly surprised.

Humility isn't something performed for a crowd.

Those who point out his poison AND pray for him show biblical character as well.

 

[Blueberrymuffin09]

Humility isn't something performed for a crowd.

Those who point out his poison AND pray for him show biblical character as well.

you are free to feel that way. he wasn't performing, I can assure you of that. and it wasn't a crowd...maybe 200. so yeah...anyway, I found no poison and he has more biblical character than alot of the naysayers.

 

[Tobias]

I have just been to a Peter Wagner conference this weekend. He is the most humble amazing man going. He refuses to fling mud at detractors. in fact, he prays for them..wow...imagine that....a man showing Biblical character. I went very skeptical, because of all the negativity around him. I was very pleasantly surprised.

I'm actually quite pleased to hear this. The last I encountered from Wagner was a couple of years ago, and he seemed to be struggling to stay humble. Perhaps God got a hold of him, and things have changed? We can only hope for the best for both him and those he ministers to.

 

[Blueberrymuffin09]

ajax, you can think him a false teacher. that is your opinion, and you are entitled to it. I heard NOTHING that was false in this conference. I am aware enough of the Bible and doctrine that I am not easily deceived. One thing that really impressed me, was him blessing the 'naysayers' and such. I am not asking anyone to believe anything they don't want to. As I said, I walked in very very skeptical, and came away impressed. I don't need you to have any blood on your hands. How noble of you, but no worries. Tobias, I am sure there were a couple things that weren't "humble", but, on the whole yes. He has alot of integrity, and I was pleasantly surprised.

 

[Ajax 777]

ajax, you can think him a false teacher. that is your opinion, and you are entitled to it.

No, ma'am. It is not "my opinion." I actually have no opinion of the man. My issue is with people wanting to shut the mouths of the watchmen on the wall while they themselves spread the fame of those who do not preach the truth, and I am thinking of the ones I DO take issue with when I say what I do. This man in particular is not even on my radar, and the title of the thread is "Religious Spirits."

I heard NOTHING that was false in this conference.

Yes, but far less so the plain word of God. Right?

I am aware enough of the Bible and doctrine that I am not easily deceived.

I'm going to bite my tongue at that one. I hope for your sake you are right, but please don't stop those who point out error from doing so. Let the fruit be the evidence.

One thing that really impressed me, was him blessing the 'naysayers' and such.

In what way did he bless whomever we're calling the naysayers? Did he do so in absentia after first convincing the congregation of the superiority of his position, or did he do so face-to-face with proven contrition, a greater blessing than post-factual lip service?

Much as I hate to say it, some talk truly is cheap.

I am not asking anyone to believe anything they don't want to.

Therein could well lie the problem. Leaving it to what people want to believe comes close to fulfilling the warning about men not putting up with sound doctrine and having itching ears.

As I said, I walked in very very skeptical, and came away impressed. I don't need you to have any blood on your hands. How noble of you, but no worries.

But I'm not trying to appear noble...you think I want to come in to these forums and look like the bad guy for warning people the things they delight in might not be copacetic? I don't enjoy conflict; I don't enjoy argument; I hate strife. But if I bury the talent God has given me in the field, will He not cast me into outer darkness with the other worthless servants?

Of course He would. Nobody makes a fool of Him...or a liar.

I cannot speak for you or anyone else, but I know what the conviction of my heart is telling me.

 

[mrmccormo]

The problem with rallying behind a teacher (which is what Bentley-ites do) is that you constantly have to defend your teacher. Scripture talks about us facing persecution and standing up for the faith, but if you think "persecution" means "my favorite preacher is gettin' bashed for his rampant sin" and if you think "standing up for the faith" means "defending your teacher at all costs when any disagreement comes", then you've certainly been reading a different Bible than me.

If his teachings are sound (which they most certainly are not), I don't think people would spend so much effort defending him. They would acknowledge that Bentley simply re-taught truths that were already out there and leave it at that. However, if Bentley-ites had an inner sense that perhaps the validity of Bentley's teaching is intimately tied to the reputation of the man himself, then it would make sense that they would come up with all manner of excuses to "restore" him to ministry and defend his position.

On the account of two or three witnesses a matter will be established. Right now, a man of bankrupt character is witnessing to the validity of his own doctrines, but is anyone outside of his ministry witnessing to the same truths?

I think that because obviously no one else is, that's why it is of the utmost importance to prop up the super-preachers in these new-wave nearly-New-Age movements. If we tear down these preachers (in truth, they tear down themselves with their blatant behavior), then we tear down their teachings that so many have chased after with itching ears.

 

[Blueberrymuffin09]

now, we had Peter at our church this morning. He spoke on Dominionism. As much as he gave me something to chew on, I am not sure I agree with that stance or not. I am researching, and of course google is free and full of the negative side. I want to find balance...still working on that.

 

[gratefulgrace]

Yes I agree Tobias it is very important how we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ. Even though blueberry muffin is correct that we all must stand before God and give account with no excuse for why we turn away from faith or do what we do, those that cause others to stumble and bruise their faith maybe even crush it, will be judged as well. How much better if we can correct the wrong before it gets to that. There are those that leave because they are rebellious but there are those that leave because they have been poisoned by false doctrine. I belive that is what is meant by contending for the faith. gg

 

[Yitzchak]

I have just finished reading a book of articles compiled by C. Peter Wagner about dealing with religious spirits. It was a real eye opener.

It gives a lot of good information about how to distinguish between the Holy Spirit and demonic religious spirits that operate in many of our churches. Some of the counterfeits are so close to the genuine, that it sometimes takes the gift of discerning of spirits to see the difference.

Did you know that religious spirits can disguise themselves very effectively in even Pentecostal and Charismatic environments to trick people into believing that it is the Holy Spirit operating, when in fact it is a Pentecostal or Charismatic demon operating instead?

Now, don't get me wrong. I am not saying that Pentecostalism or the Charismatic are demonic. What I am saying is that a demonic religious spirit can put on the appearance of being a believable Pentecostal or Charismatic influence to trick people into thinking they are having an experience in the Holy Spirit when in fact it is a demon that is influencing them.

This is really scary, and it shows that we have to very carefully test every spirit that seeks to influence us.

One of the articles in the book gives a very good list of how religious spirits work, and when you see that, then the differences between the counterfeit and the genuine are very obvious.

The scary part is that two people can be seen dancing, falling over in the Spirit, speaking in tongues, singing loudly, shouting praises, waving flags in services, and one is genuine and the other is influenced by a religious spirit. The casual observer would find it hard to know the difference, but I reckon after reading Dr Wagner's book, we can be better at seeing the true from the false.

It's easy to see the devil when he appears with horns and pitchfork. But when he appears as an angel of light, it takes someone who is in close fellowship with God to recognise him.

Here is a link for Amazon books which allows a free preview of some of the book written by Peter Wagner titled "freedom from the Religious Spirit. "

Amazon.com: Freedom from the Religious Spirit: Understanding How Deceptive Religious Forces Try To Destroy God's Plan and Purpose for His Church (9780830736706): Mr. C. Peter Wagner Ph.D: Books



From the introduction of the book...

..I sensed God speaking to me personally about giving some priority to researching and writing on the spirit of religion. As I have been undertaking this, I have discovered both that it is an extremely important issue and that it is quite a bit deeper an area than many may have imagined.

This religious spirit is not just an attitude of religiosity. It is actually an evil spirit that must be resisted, bound and cast out.

Peter Wagner testifies that he was led by God to write this book and that it is an extremely important issue. Wagner sees this as a strategic area where the devil resists the church moving forward. This is much more than just an issue of some believers being insincere or not as spiritual as they ought to be.



From Chapter One , a definition of the spirit of religion...

"I have come to the conclusion that the spirit of religion is an agent of Satan assigned to prevent change and to maintain the status quo by using religious devices."

In Chapter One , Wagner mentions two categories or departments of Satan's kingdom. One is Non Christian religions and the other is deception from within the church. This second one. The one within the church attempts to prevent people from obtaining true salvation and instead trusting in religious works. If unsuccessful in this , it attempts to prevent the believer from experiencing the fullness of what God has for them.

Wagner says ..."In my recent book, Freedom from the Religious Spirit, I pointed out that the chief tactic of this clever demon is to use religious devices to preserve the status quo. If it is successful, the spirit of religion can prevent us from moving into God's new times and seasons.

I agree that this is an important issue. Whether we agree or disagree with Wagner. He is a leader of leaders in the church. He has written 70 books and is connected with Christian leaders that influence literally millions of Christians worldwide.

Not only that. The NAR movement which Wagner helped to found has as one of it's core mandates, the mission of reforming the Church. The " new wine skins " teaching is one of the core teachings of NAR. Since NAR is a reformation movement , this basic mindset that God is bringing change and that the devil is resisting that change is a crucial key concept in what NAR believes. It's very name is New Apostolic Reformation.



From the write up of the book on Elijahlist...

Composed of archaic traditions and obsolete practices, and masterminded by the enemy of our souls, the spirit of religion seeks to keep individual Believers and the Church stagnant and unaware of the call of the Holy Spirit for change. Although not always acknowledged, the religious spirit exerts tremendous control over minds and souls. This spirit was evident when the Pharisees failed to recognize the coming of Christ. Today the spirit of religion can be so subtle that we are unaware of its impact, instead being deceived into believing that God is directing us.

 

[mrmccormo]

To play you-know-who's advocate:

Couldn't it be argued that Wagner is simply twisting and abusing this concept of "religious spirits" as a roundabout way of saying "if you resist change, you're under the influence of a religious spirit and you're resisting God's Spirit"? This whole song and dance where a young, upstart organization (in this case, NAR) comes up with a ton of ideologies contrary to the norm and then they say "if you resist us, you're resisting the Spirit" is NOT anything new at all. The Charismatic movement has been swindled and hoodwinked by this sort of stuff before. I'm not saying that, therefore, this means Wagner is false. I'm simply pointing out an unsettling similarity.

I realize there is balance necessary here, but when we look for the Devil under every rock, we often find him (even if he's not actually there). Picking apart "religious devices that preserve the status quo" could lead to the very same apostasy and sleepiness that Wagner is trying to prevent.

And I do recall that Paul said "Stand firm and hold fast to the instructions which we passed on to you" in 2 Thess 2:15. I don't recall him saying "examine your church's religious practices, put them under a microscope, and see if they are being caused by a religious spirit". The NT encourages standing steadfast and holding firm. Wagner encourages religious upheaval, revolution, and radical change (in favor of his own organization). I don't know how I feel about that.

 

[Yitzchak]

Come on Oscarr, C. Peter Wagner...really?

This is the same guy who failed to recognise a wolf in a child's sheep costume, namely Todd Bentley!

Wagner commissioned Bentley on stage at the height of the 'Lakeland revival', showering him with praise and prophecy, meanwhile Bentley was in adulterous relationship, getting drunk, and lying about a lot of things. Within a week or so, it all fell apart and Bentley was exposed as a sham.

If Wagner failed to even see through Bentley - that anyone with a fleas worth of discernment could see through - why on earth should I trust him with a book on discernment?

peace,
Simon

Here is the video of Wagner endorsing Todd Bentley and the Lakeland Revival.



Peter Wagner endorses Todd Bentley - YouTube



Bear in mind though that this endorsement was not from Wagner alone. If I understand Wagner correctly , he presides over 500 Apostles in the apostolic network and they presumably were in agreement with his endorsement of Bentley and Lakeland. Not to mention John Arnott , Bill Johnson , Che Ahn , and several others who are present at this endorsement also.



Also , the Revival went for many nights in a row. It began April 3, 2008 and went for over 100 nights in a row. It was watched by literally millions around the world. Bentley was endorsed by literally millions of Christians around the world.





From Charisma magazine...

http://fireinmybones.com/index.php?col=081308~Life+After+Lakeland%3A+Sorting+Out+the+Confusion

Life After Lakeland: Sorting Out the Confusion - Fire In My Bones

Why did so many people flock to Lakeland from around the world to rally behind an evangelist who had serious credibility issues from the beginning?

To put it bluntly, we’re just plain gullible.
From the first week of the Lakeland revival, many discerning Christians raised questions about Bentley’s beliefs and practices. They felt uneasy when he said he talked to an angel in his hotel room. They sensed something amiss when he wore a T-shirt with a skeleton on it. They wondered why a man of God would cover himself with tattoos. They were horrified when they heard him describe how he tackled a man and knocked his tooth out during prayer.
But among those who jumped on the Lakeland bandwagon, discernment was discouraged. They were expected to swallow and follow. The message was clear: “This is God. Don’t question.” So before we could all say, “Sheeka Boomba” (as Bentley often prayed from his pulpit), many people went home, prayed for people and shoved them to the floor with reckless abandon, Bentley-style.
I blame this lack of discernment, partly, on raw zeal for God. We’re spiritually hungry—which can be a good thing. But sometimes, hungry people will eat anything.
Many of us would rather watch a noisy demonstration of miracles, signs and wonders than have a quiet Bible study. Yet we are faced today with the sad reality that our untempered zeal is a sign of immaturity. Our adolescent craving for the wild and crazy makes us do stupid things. It’s way past time for us to grow up.

I agree with the conclusion given by Charisma , highlighted above. Most people had never heard of Todd Bentley prior to Lakeland. People were hungry for Revival , not for Todd Bentley. Bentley was good at tapping into people's emotion and telling them what they wanted to hear. Namely that God was showing up with their miracle.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confidence_trick

Confidence tricks exploit typical human qualities such as greed, dishonesty, vanity, honesty, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility, desperation, and naïveté. The common factor is that the victim (mark) relies on the good faith of the con artist.

Just as there is no typical profile for swindlers, neither is there one for their victims. Virtually anyone can fall prey to fraudulent crimes. ... Certainly victims of high-yield investment frauds may possess a level of greed which exceeds their caution as well as a willingness to believe what they want to believe. However, not all fraud victims are greedy, risk-taking, self-deceptive individuals looking to make a quick dollar. Nor are all fraud victims naïve, uneducated, or elderly